Restoring Romance in a Rushed and Running World
He grabbed my hand as we jaywalked through the parking lot and climbed up cement steps to the history center. On wooden benches, in folding chairs, and across picnic blankets, the crowd swelled and continued to grow. We spread out our picnic sheet, laughing at the too-stereotypical red gingham material, and laid out an easy picnic supper from the grocery store. Asian chicken pea-pod salad and a roast beef baguette sandwich paired well with a mango coconut water for me, and a juice for him.
Evening fell on the St. Paul skyline, dancers grabbed partners and dosei-doed, and I stretched out barefoot toes from a red sheet to cool green grass, and sighed contentedly.
“Look,” Mark pointed to a white haired man in rolled blue jeans and a cuffed white t-shirt clasping hands with a jitter-bugging female partner. They moved in comfortable grace, familiar with each other’s thoughts and movements. In dance after dance, they swayed in elegant ballroom moves, or rocked in easy rhythms.
Mark and I intertwined fingers and sat back, followed them with our eyes in the swirling mass of dancers, and leaned heads close in the deepening dusk.
With the busyness of life, and a son in college, we are always on the lookout for easy frugal date ideas. This picnic supper at a local free concert series was fun, romantic, and simple to do. Rekindling the flame in our marriages needn’t be expensive or exhausting, and is so worth it.
What are your most recent easy, simple date ideas?
For more ideas, check out:
-Adding Steam and Romance to Our Marriages this Summer
–Romance in the Moment to Moment (Plus free date ideas…)
–Sneaking Romance into the Work Week
–Rekindling Romance a Moment at a Time
Linking with Emily at Imperfect Prose.
sounds like a delightful evening
often the simple is the most precious!
oh how lovely! so jealous…. what a beautiful landscape. thank you for sharing with us. e.
Yes, it is easy to let romance go when things become rushed, and sometimes just routine.
I was just thinking about this today and said to my hubby, "you haven't taken me on a date in a while." To which he responded that he had just been thinking the same thing!
We often times will just go get a glass of wine or beer at our local pizza and pub on a Friday night. Or when we have a little more money we love to go to the movies.
Thanks for the reminder to keep nurturing the romance in marriage.
Good for you! I can always use a reminder to be more intentional with my wife and family. Sometimes it's just a cup of coffee in the afternoon… Think I'll do that today. Maybe catch the show of hummingbirds playing… The greatest treasures are paid for by our Father and cost us nothing. Thanks bringing that back into focus.
Beautiful! I love moments like that. My hubby and I love to peruse used book stores and lay on the front lawn and look for shapes in clouds. Those are small intimate moments I know we will remember.
It's easy to let go of romance any time. After the chase and capture is over the hard work begins. We like to browse book stores especially Christian ones or a thrift store. He looks for tools, I look for things to decorate the house with. I like movie once in a while and he really could care less if he ever see a movie…but he will go to one I pick out just for me…I in turn will go car hunting with him with is my least favorite thing to do. Great post Jennifer…always need reminding of this…
Hi Hisfirefly,
Those simple relaxed moments breathe peace and renewal deep into me. You too?
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Thank you, Emily. 🙂
Jennifer
jenniferdougan.com
Hi Amy,
Thanks for stopping in here. Welcome. Good job for you and your man thinking about a date around the same time too. What did you end up doing that day?
May you two — like us–keep learning to speak romance in little gestures and words each day.
Nice to meet you.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Hey Floyd,
A cup of coffee with your wife in the morning is a great tradition. 🙂 My man is a chai drinker, and concocts it near me some mornings too.
Have a great week.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
AJ,
mmm, used bookstores and cloud gazing sounds nice too! 🙂 Keep doing it, and thanks for the ideas too.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Hi Betty,
Browsing bookstores is something AJ mentioned too. I agree. And thrift stores, shared hobbies, or accommodating times together are nice too.
Nice to talk with you,
Jennifer
jenniferdougan.com